JOSEF V. SLADEK
(1845–1912)
Josef V. Sladek ranks high as a poet and a translator as well. He was born in Zbirov, October 27th, 1845, and died in 1912. After completing his philosophic studies at the Charles University of Prague, Sladek left for America, where he spent two years (1869–70). No doubt that this brief but important period had marked influence upon Sladek and made possible his translations of Longfellow’s Hiawatha ,Byron’s Hebrew Melodies, Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, and many Shakespearean plays. His works include Poems (1875) Sparks at Sea (1880) On the Threshold of Paradise (1883) Sunshine and Shadows (1881) and others. Sladek’s poetry ranges from tender dreaminess to bold manly resolve. Between his lines seeps a constant stream of tender love, combined with bitter hate of every form of treachery and deceit. He is sincere and convincing whether it be sparks of humor or darts of disdain that fly like sparks from off the anvil of his creative genius.